Library Days
by Belletrist Word Salad
Summary: Reeling from the tragedy surrounding Kotonoha and Sekai, Makoto spends his days in the library. This catches the attention of Yuuki Ashikaga, an acquaintance and admirer of Kotonoha who is also reeling from the tragedy... [Post-School Days manga. Eventual MakotoYuuki.] Leitmotif: "Theme of Laura" (Silent Hill 2 soundtrack)
1. N The Girl in the Library

Library Days

N. The Girl in the Library

Leitmotif: "Forest" — Silent Hill 2 soundtrack

-:-

_He only knew so much about her, but it was enough to get his heart racing. _

_Her name, Kotonoha Katsura. Her class, 1-4. _

_She also loved to read. That much was evident by how often he saw her in the library, quiet as a church mouse, reading glasses and contented smile on her features as she pored over the tomes. It seemed that there weren't many students at Sakakino High who loved to read, unless it was porn. As one of the school's few librarians, Yuuki Ashikaga found it sad, really, the lack of respect everyone had for literature…_

_Certain girls in his life could learn a thing or two from Katsura…_

_Most importantly, however, Katsura-san was a kind person. Yuuki knew he wasn't exactly the paragon of manliness. How could he forget, when people made a point of constantly reminding him? _

Geez, so unmanly! Of course, you can't help being born girly-looking…

Well, you _do_ kinda look like a girl…

Seriously, all you need is a wig and a dress, and you're good to go, Ashikaga!

_But not Katsura-san. What she'd told him the other day lifted his spirits, and knowing that there were people like her brought a little more spring to his step whenever he made his way to the library._

_There was no denying it: Yuuki Ashikaga was in love. But how to tell her… Maybe he could do the Cellphone Charm that was all the rage… No, too stalker-ish. And really, who'd be stupid enough to think that'd work?_

Y'know what? Carpe diem.

_He caught up to her by the shoe cabinets, where she was checking her phone. "Katsura-san!"_

"_Oh! Ashikaga-kun."_

_At the sight of those maroon eyes landing on his, Yuuki's heart beat just a little faster, and he averted his gaze. "U-um, if it's alright… would you… like to walk home together?"_

"_Oh. I'm very sorry, but I'm meeting my boyfriend."_

_Yuuki's heart dropped. "Your… boyfriend…?"_

"_Sorry to keep you waiting, Kotonoha!" The source of the new voice was a taller boy with kind amber eyes and a mop of cowlicked black hair. _

_Katsura's gaze warmed as it met the other boy's. "No, no, it's quite alright." She turned back to Yuuki, blissfully unaware. "See you later, Ashikaga-kun."_

_Once the couple was out of sight, Yuuki heaved a hefty sigh. Figures that someone as beautiful inside and out as Katsura-san would have a boyfriend by now._

_Thoroughly dejected, the young bookworm made his slow, plodding way back to the library, a single tear rolling down his face._

I hope you're happy with him, Katsura-san…

-:-

I think I just found another fandom to call home…

all characters and locations © 0verflow  
this story © me


	2. I The Boy in the Library

I. The Boy in the Library

Leitmotif: "Promise (Reprise)" — Silent Hill 2 soundtrack

-:-

When he saw himself in the mirror, he almost did a double take.

His complexion had gained back some of its color, but Yuuki could still see the listlessness in his eyes, as well as the bags beneath them. Granted, he'd only been out of the hospital since over the holidays, but belying even that was tragedy.

It all started after the school festival. Katsura-san had stopped coming to the library. This alone wouldn't have worried Yuuki so much were it not for the fact that according to his sempai—who in turn had heard it from his girlfriend, and her from a classmate of Katsura's—Katsura-san hadn't been at school at all since then. She didn't seem like the type to just start skipping school, so something was definitely wrong there…

Then, she'd come back, all smiles as she thanked Yuuki for his concern. _I'm alright now_, she'd said with a soft giggle. _I'll be joining Makoto-kun and Saionji-san on the rooftop, and everything will be exactly as it should be._ Alarm bells had rung in the back of his mind, but Yuuki had written it off as lingering worry from her previous absence.

It was the last time he saw her alive—

"Yuuki!"

"C-Coming, Sis."

-:-

In her periphery, she watched Yuuki sink into himself, his eyes glazing over as he slumped in his seat.

Chie sighed. For all her attempts to matchmake her little brother with her dear kohai, it was clear that she'd underestimated Yuuki's crush on that Katsura girl.

She remembered the day when she, her friends, and Roka were passing by the library on their way to practice. There was Yuuki, chatting amiably with the long-haired girl. While Chie would've preferred it to have been Roka, it was nice to see her _hikikomori_-in-the-making brother chatting with someone rather than bury his nose in some stuffy book or stare at a computer screen.

Afterwards, she'd set Yuuki and Roka up at Sweets Ohara, and from what the latter had told her, it'd gone somewhat swimmingly. But then, everything just _had_ to go to hell—

"Morning, Chie."

"Oh. Morning, Youka."

The other girl's face softened as she looked to Chie's right. "Morning, Yuu-chan."

When the boy didn't respond, Chie nudged him. "Oh. M-Morning." His eyes glazed over again, and he was dead silent the rest of the way.

Chie couldn't have been more relieved when they finally reached Gakuenmae.

-:-

"Hey, Yuuki."

The bookworm smiled wanly. "Morning, Sempai."

"Good to have you back. It wasn't easy holding down the fort without you."

Despite himself, Yuuki let his smile grow at this. "What, didn't have as much time to text your girlfriend?"

Kasannoin chuckled. "You know me so well, Yuuki."

Kyouichi Kasannoin was the only other librarian at Sakakino High, as well as the only person Yuuki could call a friend. Youka and Ion were more his sister's friends, and Sawanaga and Kuroda had drifted away from him since their middle school days. What he wouldn't give for either's banter right now…

As for Kitsuregawa, it seemed that she'd chosen to keep her distance from him ever since they'd fallen out before the school festival. In fact, unlike everyone else aforementioned, she hadn't visited him once at the hospital. Given how rocky things had been between them since day one, Yuuki decided it was no skin off his nose if Kitsuregawa distanced herself…

Yuuki had always considered himself and Kasannoin a sort of odd couple: himself a textbook nerd and Sempai an outgoing pretty boy. But, as it turned out, Kasannoin was also a closet nerd, sharing his kohai's love of gaming.

Speaking of which…

"Here, Sempai."

During the hospitalization, Kasannoin had lent Yuuki his handheld, something for which the young gamer was forever grateful. The hospital's magazines were little more than gossip rags, so the handheld had provided some much-needed respite.

"Oh, thanks." Kasannoin looked the device over with a smile. "Glad to see you took good care of it."

Yuuki gave the upperclassman one of his looks. "Really, Sempai. Did you honestly think I'd let anything happen to it?" Though keeping it away from his cousin Inori had been a feat in and of itself…

Kasannoin chuckled again. "You're right. You'd rather die than let that happen."

Despite the upperclassman's questionable choice of words, Yuuki felt somewhat uplifted by his and his sempai's banter. It made him feel almost normal again and not like someone to be pitied, which was the feeling he got from everyone else…

A sudden beeping got his and Kasannoin's attention.

"Problem?"

"Oh, uh… I was trying to check this book out and it won't let me."

Yuuki sighed. So that damn machine was still acting up…

"Here. Give me your card and—" When Yuuki put the card through the reader, he was greeted with an ID showing a plain-looking boy with cowlicked dark hair.

This guy… why did he seem so familiar…?

Then, like a toppling bookshelf, it hit him.

"Sempai… I'll be right back."

He barely made it to the bathroom before dry-heaving into the sink.

Of all people to show up at the library, why did it have to be Katsura-san's boyfriend?

-:-

So much for a meet-cute, huh?

all characters and locations © 0verflow  
this story © me


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